RP On the Web!

They are still counting little slips of paper in Iowa, apparently. The initial story was that Romney beat Rick Santorum by only 8 votes. Then, the day after the caucuses Iowans reported that maybe Santorm was the one that won by only 8 votes or so. Now it is being said that Santorum won by 80 some votes!

Byron York reports that as the counting in Iowa continues, Santorum stands at an 80 vote lead. How can this all happen? Didn’t everyone think that the vote was settled weeks ago? Well, actually no.
Those who were paying attention on the morning after the caucuses would remember that the Iowa State GOP had said that it would certify the results weeks after the voting ended. The results of that night were not actually official but were the result of the initial reporting.

The state party gathers the official results by each organization by US mail and then double checks the numbers to that previously announced. In actuality, the real vote totals are not announced for weeks after the vote is taken.

Of course, even if Santorum does win by 80 some votes it won’t affect the results in Iowa too much. But it could affect the national discussion of the Romney juggernaut. He won’t have really won the first two contests at that rate.

This is one of the problems with the caucuses in Iowa, though. They are a bit, well, goofy.

In any case, another counting is coming in South Carolina and if Romney wins decisively there it will make Iowa moot.